Pregame: Twins not much different than in April

Blog Post by: Phil Miller

August 19, 2013 - 12:05 PM

Sometimes when makeup games are played months after a rainout, as is the case with today's matinee with the Mets -- a game originally scheduled for April 14, the second week of the season -- the teams look completely different by the time they play. But that's really not the case with the Twins, whose lineup includes six of the same players, especially in the middle of the order, who played the day before the rainout, and a seventh, Pedro Florimon, who was merely getting a day off on April 13.

The biggest difference is that Aaron Hicks, still in the leadoff spot at that point despite hitting .047 at the time, is no longer here, nor is outfielder Chris Parmemee. But the 2-5 hitters in the April 13 lineup are the same today, Trevor Plouffe is batting seventh instead of sixth, and Brian Dozier has been promoted from the bottom of the order to the top. The starting pitcher, Kyle Gibson, was in Rochester's rotation back in April, but the entire bullpen is remarkably intact -- Caleb Thielbar has been added, but the seven relievers who started the season are all still throwing.

Even the standings are the same -- the Twins were in fourth place at 4-7, the Mets in third, albeit with a 7-4 record.

But New York's lineup is completely different. Only Daniel Murphy, Ike Davis and Marlon Byrd were in that day-before-rainout lineup and are in today's too. Hard to say anyone gained an advantage by waiting four months to play today's game, but the Twins lost the first two games of that April series, so they probably didn't mind the postponement too much.

It's definitely an inconvenience for both teams today, however, considering how scarce off days are right now. The Mets are on their way home from San Diego, the Twins are headed out for a weeklong trip. I'll be interested to see how many people show up for a Monday afternoon game; I suspect it might be even fewer than they would have drawn in April, despite a 50 degree difference in temperatures. There's no TV, so feel free to keep up via Twitter -- @millerstrib.